Julia Hunter

While the hospital's COVID-19 patient occupancy is the lowest it has been in two months, data suggests Jennie Stuart is still under stress from the coronavirus pandemic.

The request follows guideline changes last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the recommended interval between doses.

COVID-19 hospitalizations at Jennie Stuart Medical Center have declined from a recent peak, but newly released federal data show the hospital has been under what health care experts consider "extreme stress."

Health care workers who were among the first in the county to receive the COVID-19 vaccine started getting their second doses this week.

From Jan. 8 to 14, the percentage of occupied ICU beds at Jennie Stuart was higher than any other time for which data is available.

Among the reasons cited for the return was a decrease in local COVID-19 cases. While the incidence rate is lower than it has been all month, it remains higher than any time students were learning in person.

The first doses have gone to health care workers and, more recently, Christian County school staff, as local health officials gradually open vaccinations to local residents who fall within the next phase of the state's distribution plan.

During the most recent reporting week, Jennie Stuart's COVID-19 occupancy in the ICU and across the entire hospital reached dangerously high levels.

The district cited the recent surge of coronavirus cases, capacity limits at Jennie Stuart Medical Center and 82 virus cases and quarantines of CCPS staff.

The postponement was attributed to an "unprecedented spike in COVID cases and hospitalizations over the last 48 hours."

Although the department is still working through phase 1a of the state's vaccine distribution plan, it expects to move to phase 1b in early February.

For the fourth day in a row, COVID-19 hospitalizations at Jennie Stuart have reached a record high.